Guns made by Portsmouth, Virginia-based Thomas W. Cofer are some of the rarest examples of Confederate revolvers. Based on the Whitney Navy, estimates put total production numbers somewhere between 86 and 140; less than 10 are known to exist today. The biggest visual differentiation between the Whitney and Cofer revolvers is that Cofer’s gun features […]

Revolvers made by Dance are some of the most distinctive guns to come out of the south. While they are copied from the Colt Dragoon, they differ in a very important aspect of appearance. Dance revolvers lack a recoil shield on both sides of the gun, giving their frame a very flat look. Made in […]

The Spiller and Burr factory was originally established in Richmond, Virginia, as the brainchild of wealthy businessmen Edward Spiller and David Burr, along with firearms expert James Burton. Burr was a southern sympathizer running a commission business in Baltimore, Maryland; Spiller was born and raised in Richmond where he made steam engines and locomotives. Burton […]

Before the Civil War, Samuel Griswold was a successful businessman, having found a good living making cotton gins. Business was so good that he purchased 4,000 acres outside of Macon, Georgia, where he established and named a town after himself – Griswoldville, Georgia. Arvin Gunnison had worked for Griswold many years before the war started. […]